Introduction
Instagram highlights are a feature that allow users to showcase their best stories and video content on their profile pages. With highlights, you can organize your stories into categories, making it easier for followers to find and watch the content that interests them. Highlights also provide an opportunity to create a visual brand statement for your account, share your message, and build engagement with your audience. Whether you’re a business, influencer, or just an avid Instagram user, highlighting is a valuable tool to add to your social media arsenal. In this article, I’ll take you through a step-by-step guide on how to create highlights, offer design ideas for different types of accounts, share high-quality content tips, and give practical advice on highlight marketing and personal branding.
Step-by-Step Guide
Creating Instagram highlights is a simple, five-step process:
- Tap your profile picture on the bottom right corner of your Instagram app
- Tap the “+” sign under your bio to add a new highlight
- Choose the story or stories you want to include in your highlight
- Choose a cover image for your highlight – this will be the thumbnail image shown on your profile page
- Name your highlight and add it to a category
It’s important to choose good cover images that represent the content of your highlight, as these will be the first point of contact for your followers. Consider using relevant icons, text, or graphics that will convey the theme of your highlight. If you’re running a business account, you might want to use branded images to make your profile stand out.
Once you’ve created your highlight, you can continue to add more stories to it by clicking on the highlight name on your profile page and editing the content.
If you’re having problems creating highlights, try checking to see if your app is updated to the latest version, or clear your cache. If you still have issues, contact Instagram’s customer support.
Highlight Design Ideas
Visual appeal is essential when it comes to highlight design. In addition to choosing high-quality images that represent the content of your highlight, consider the color schemes and background choices that work best for your account. Bold colors and patterns can grab attention, but might be too much for some accounts. Consider using neutral tones or pastels for a cleaner, more sophisticated feel.
There are several successful highlight design formats, including icons, typography, patterns, illustrations, and even animations. Depending on your account type, choose designs that appeal to your audience and reflect your brand message. Icons are a popular choice for businesses to showcase their products or services, while illustrations work well for personal or lifestyle brands.
Highlight Marketing
Instagram highlights offer a fantastic opportunity for businesses to promote their brand message and products. To create effective highlight content that drives engagement and sales, consider the following tips:
- Use high-quality images and videos that showcase your products or services
- Incorporate text or graphics that resonate with your audience
- Highlight customer testimonials and case studies that demonstrate your value proposition
- Create highlight categories that showcase different aspects of your business, such as product features, brand mission, or FAQs
Influencers can also optimize their highlights to boost their following and income. Consider creating highlight categories that showcase your collaborations, media coverage, or top-performing posts. You can also use highlights to link to your other social media channels, website, or blog.
Highlight Branding
Creating a strong personal brand on Instagram is essential for standing out in a crowded marketplace. Your highlights can be a valuable tool for reinforcing your brand message and showcasing your work. To use highlights for personal branding, consider the following tips:
- Create highlight categories that showcase your portfolio or past work
- Highlight your skills or areas of expertise
- Use highlights to link to your website or other social media channels
- Create highlight categories that showcase your behind-the-scenes content, such as vlogging or tutorials
Remember to keep your highlights consistent with your overall branding and aesthetic. Use similar color schemes, fonts, and graphics to create a cohesive visual identity.
Highlight Best Practices
While highlighting can create a great visual impact for your Instagram profile, there are few things to keep in mind to make the content easily accessible and navigable for your followers:
- Keep your highlights short and focused – highlight videos last 15 seconds so try to keep it under this timeframe
- Ensure that your highlight categories are organized, clear, and easy to navigate
- Use concise, clear title names
- Keep the stories in your highlight categories updated and fresh
Following good highlight practices can create more engagement and visibility from your followers, making your Instagram profile become the digital representation of your brand message.
Conclusion
Instagram highlights are a great way to showcase your best Instagram content and create a visually appealing profile. Highlighting is an effective tool for businesses, influencers and for personal branding. By carefully organizing your stories into highlight categories, creating high-quality cover images, and designing your content with striking, cohesive visual motifs, you can create an Instagram profile that reflects your brand’s message, brings traffic to your website, and engages your target audience.
By using this step-by-step guide, your highlight content can get you more visibility and engagement in your account.
Now it’s your turn to give highlight designing a try. Put these tips into practice, experiment with design, and showcase your amazing Instagram content with highlights. You can also tag us on social media with your creations – we can’t wait to see your highlights.
